Narcolepsy
by frayed1989
Summary: The Winchesters visit a town which seems to suffer the nightmares of a narcoleptic. Can the boys save them or will it be the last straw for Dean?
1. Chapter One

**Title: **Narcolepsy**  
Chapter: **1/?**  
Series:** Supernatural**  
Author: **Alex Graves**  
Pairing: **Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby implied.**  
Rating:** R**  
Warnings: Spoiler for Season Four up to "On the Head of a Pin"**, angst, violence, and slash.**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural. It belongs to its creators and the network that runs it. No copywrite infringement intended.**  
A/N: **Because for some damn reason I have to slash everyone and honestly, Wincest is nasty and Castiel is just a sad little puppy that needs some love!

**Summary:** Dean has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Add the fact that he started the apocalypse and the fact that Sam is turning into the very thing that they are fighting and you get a very pessimistic Dean. But when a town suffers from a girl's dreams, does it mean the end for the Winchesters and the world in turn?

**Chapter One  
**_I'm on a train but there's no one at the helm.  
There's a demon in my brain that starts to overwhelm.  
_

It was too much. It was all too much too fast. For both individuals. For Dean, it was the weight of the world crashing down on his shoulders. He had been feeling it for weeks, months, and if he thought real hard about it, he was sure he could say that he had been feeling the weight for years. It had been a bearable weight, one that he could rationalize. When it first began, there was only the weight of keeping Sammy safe. When he got older, the weight of strangers, few, were added on. For a while, it was simply his father and if he helped people along the way, that was fine too. Of course the weight of Sam was there. Dean knew that the weight would be there forever, even after he died. And he did.

Then there was the weight of souls. Thousands of souls damned to hell that he tortured, that he cut into and beat down. He had tried to rationalize that. After all, those souls were there for a reason and really, you had to fuck up pretty badly to get your own rack down in the pit. But then he thought of the people who were in the same position as him. And the others who he realized he had passed judgment on. And while Dean wasn't a religious man, while he didn't believe in God because if there had been a God, Dean was sure that God wouldn't have let him and his brother suffer so, Dean also believed that it wasn't his place to judge people.

On top of all this weight, came the weight of the world. Pulled out of hell for a suicide mission, the weight of the world settled on Dean's shoulders. For Dean, it was simply another weight, one more thing to add. It didn't slow him, didn't make him sink, didn't make him falter. Sure, he wasn't a fan of the angels. Castiel didn't give any straight answers to any questions Dean asked, just repeated the mantra that Dean should be thankful to be out of hell. And Dean wouldn't lie, he was pretty damn thankful. Uriel was just simply a thorn in Dean's side. A lot of talk but no action, though Dean was positive that if Uriel had the chance, Dean would have been six feet under once again.

And for a while, Dean was okay. He wasn't perfect of course, wasn't back to his old self but then again he hadn't been since his father died. Dead things should stay dead. Dean held steadfastly to this and knew he always would. And after hell, well, what did people expect? If they expected that Dean would be as gay as a blue bird than obviously they were idiots. You didn't go to hell and come out unscathed. There are reasons as to why demons act the way they do. Millennia of torture can do that to a person and Dean only got thirty years of it. But Dean was coping, he was dealing, he was beginning to heal.

And being charged with the mission to save the world from the apocalypse? Well, for Dean, that was the ultimate redemption, wasn't it? Save the world, all of humanity, and God, because there must be one now what with angels hovering everywhere, would have to give him a clean slate. That's how it should have been.

But Dean wasn't an idiot. The angels made it very clear that that rarely, if ever, heard from the man upstairs. They also made it abundantly clear that they could and would put Dean back in hell whenever they wanted. Still, Dean was okay with it. At least he'd have a chance to prove to himself that he was still good man, still a man his father could be proud of. He'd save Sammy from himself and he'd save the world from Lucifer's coming, and he'd know that his father would be proud. And though Dean would never admit it and though he knew that his father was dead and gone, Dean still wanted it. He still wanted that approval.

And then just like that, it all came crashing down. Alistair. He hadn't been strong enough and he should have been. Dean wasn't talking physical strength, as he was sure he had enough of that by mortal measures. But mentally, emotionally, he wasn't strong enough. That had become very clear in those few hours in an empty room with the thing that had tortured him and had driven him to torture those damned souls. And for what? For nothing. All Dean got out of it was the ability to finally feel all that damn weight on his shoulders. And it buried him.

For Castiel, it was something entirely different. Castiel had always felt the weight of humanity on his shoulders and had grown quiet accustomed to it. The weight wasn't what bothered him. It was how he was told to manage it. Castiel wasn't dumb. He saw the same things that the other angels saw. He knew why Lucifer fought against humanity, why he fought against God. He understood why angels fell. But he himself had been just fine. He knew why he had been made and he accepted it with the grace given him by the Father.

Lucifer, the others, they were flawed. They fell because they didn't have faith, because they didn't believe that the choices made for them by the Father were the right ones. And so they were punished. Just as Adam and Eve were punished for eating the fruit of the one tree God told them not to eat from. Angels and humans were treated the same. Go against the Father and paradise was taken from you. Castiel saw this. Others did not.

Then he was charged with pulling Dean Winchester out of hell. The seals had begun to break. The Apocalypse was approaching and Lucifer would defy God's will well before it was time. At first Castiel saw it as another job. After all Heaven had fought Hell before and won, why should this time be any different? But Castiel soon learned that this thought was horribly wrong. There were new players. Human children with demon blood coursing through their veins had not been part of the battle the previous wars. A righteous man had not broken a seal because a righteous man had not been in hell.

And Angels? They did not doubt. But things were different now. God was silent. Gates had been opened. Souls, demons, and other horrific monsters roamed the earth. And Angels doubted. And for the first time, so did Castiel. For the first time, Castiel began to feel. And though he knew it was wrong, though he had begun to hate the tightening in his chest, the throbbing at his temple, the sweat that clung the his back, the twisting in his gut, and the pounding in his heart, Castiel thought it beautiful. It opened his eyes.

For ages he wondered why humans acted so strangely. They weren't rational, did things they weren't supposed to do and for what? One moment of happiness? Of total feeling? Castiel didn't see what was so great about feeling but than again Castiel had never felt before. And now that he could? Now that he began to doubt, began to wonder, began to think he felt overwhelmed.

So when Dean said he couldn't do it anymore, that he wasn't strong enough, Castiel didn't say a thing. He didn't say that Dean had to because it was God's will. Didn't threaten another eternity in hell. Didn't do anything. Because he understood. For the first time, Castiel understood why Dean turned his head away and tried to hold back tears that threatened to fall. So Castiel didn't say a word. He figured Dean preferred the silence anyways.


	2. Chapter Two

**Title: **Narcolepsy**  
Chapter: **2/?  
**Series:** Supernatural**  
Author: **Alex Graves  
**Pairing: **Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby implied.**  
Rating: **PG13 for this chapter**  
Warnings: Spoilers for 4.16**, angst, violence, and slash.**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural. It belongs to its creators and the network that runs it. No copywrite infringement intended.**  
A/N: **Man I love me some supernatural. Don't you? :)

**Summary:** The Winchesters visit a town that seems to suffer the nightmares of a narcoleptic. Can the boys save them or will it be the last straw for Dean?

**Chapter Two  
**_And there it goes, my last chance for peace.  
You lay me down but I get no release._

The glass felt cool against his forehead, which Dean had to admit felt pretty nice. He still couldn't really breath properly through his nose but was thankful that the break had healed quiet nicely meaning his face wouldn't be disfigured. He'd still be the same handsome devil he'd always been and his lips quirked upwards quietly at the thought.

"Now there's something I was starting to think I'd never see again." Dean jumped, a bit startled as it had been completely silent for the last hour. He sighed and looked at his brother who was currently driving the Impala down a deserted stretch of road otherwise known as route 36. "Smile that is. You haven't smiled in a while." Sam answered when Dean raised his eyebrow in question.

Dean simply shrugged and returned his attention to the passing foliage, pressing his head against the cool glass in hopes of relieving the headache that had begun to throb at the front of his skull. He heard Sam give an audible sigh and knew that soon his brother would begin prying into him as he had done since Dean had woken up in the hospital three weeks ago. "No Sam. I don't want to talk about it."

"Well are you ever going to talk about it?" Sam asked, his brows furrowing in frustration. Dean sat up and looked over at his younger brother with a cheeky grin.

"Nope. Wasn't on my list of things to do," Dean replied.

"Dean. Something big happened back there. I know something big happened and I'm not talking about Castiel almost getting exorcised."

"Yeah something big happened. Tell me Sam, how did you kill Alistair exactly? Huh? Because last I checked Sam, we didn't have anything that could kill them. No colt, no knife, nothing." Dean watched Sam's brows furrowed even further as he clenched his jaw together, his lips thinning and his cheekbones becoming even more pronounced. "Yeah that's what I thought. Listen Sam, don't ask the big questions if you don't plan on answering some yourself."

They sat in silence again for a moment, Sam gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles had turned white. Dean was again resting his head against the passenger door's windshield, his eyes closed. The silence didn't last long, much to Dean displeasure. "You know why I don't answer you Dean? You don't want to know." Dean growled as he pressed his thumb and forefinger against his eyelids, willing the headache to back off to no avail.

"You're right Sam. I don't want to know," he sneered. "I don't want to know what you're doing, how far you're going, what you're turning into. You know what you're turning into right? You know that if you go to far, I'm going to have to stop you?"

"You're not going to have to stop me Dean! Believe it or not, you don't have to save me! I'm not you're wimpy little brother anymore; I can take care of myself. I'm doing what I have to do to be stronger, so we can stop the seals breaking," Sam cried in semi-disbelief. "But you're not going to believe that, no matter how many times I tell you."

Dean bit the inside of his cheek to keep from replying. He didn't want to yell at Sam, didn't want to face the fact that he was losing his brother, losing control of the one thing in his life that should have been settled. He didn't want to add another weight, which is what he would be doing if he confronted Sam about everything. He'd already given up on saving the world and he knew if it came down to it, he'd give up on saving Sam. The world and Sam did not want to be saved, though the world perhaps didn't know it needed to be saved. Sam was just another problem entirely. And you can't save what doesn't want to be saved.

"Where are we going?" Dean asked instead, his head pressed to the glass yet again. Sam, who had been tensed as if ready to fight, slowly relaxed back into the seat, his fingers releasing its rigid hold on the steering wheel, flexing against the leather.

"Well you should get a laugh out of this," Sam stated, trying to force a small smile, trying to lighten a mood that he knew in the back of his head couldn't be lightened. "We're going to Hell." He paused and looked over at Dean to see his reaction. Dean, instead of clenching up into a ball like his body and mind screamed at him to do, merely turned his head towards his brother and raised an eyebrow. "Michigan. Hell, Michigan." Sam clarified.

Dean made a sound at the back of the throat and gave a halfhearted chuckle. "Michigan, huh? To some people it probably is Hell." Sam frowned, glancing at his brother. "So, what's happening in Hell?"

Sam nodded, reaching into the back seat and grabbing his backpack, pulling it up to the front seat for Dean to rifle through. Pulling out the top papers, Dean began to read the headlines. Sam watched as Dean's brows gathered, his lips pursed together as he flipped through the printouts. "Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, demons, what looks like the work of a Wendigo. Practically everything we've ever come up against, all in the same town? Place must be hell," Dean stated in disbelief as he rifled to backpack for more printouts. "But why? Why this town?"

"There's are two articles in there. The first incident back in November. The day before a girl almost dies falling off the high dive of a pool because of her Narcolepsy. Look at the pattern of the incidents." Dean quickly scanned the dates of each article before looking at his brother. "Right, there is no pattern."

"So you think that this girl and the attacks are connected?" Dean asked. Sam nodded, grinning in excitement. "The girl's fine! Says so right here! How could they be connected?"

"Every time an attack happens, I think she's asleep. I think everything that goes on there is simply a manifestation of her dreams. Like someone is giving her Dreamroot mixed with speed or something so it's, you know, backwards." Dean shook his head as he gathered the papers and placed them back in the bag.

"I don't know Sam. Sounds kind of insane." Sam shot Dean a look at which Dean rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, we've dealt with stranger. But I don't know if your theory is right. Still, might as well check it out." Dean turned his attention back to the window and Sam frowned, looking at his brother.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Sam asked. Dean sighed.

"Yeah Sammy, I'm sure." Sam nodded and gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. Dean pressed his head against the window, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling of the glass against his forehead rather than the clenching in his chest.

* * *

Dean wasn't sure what to expect when Sam pulled into the lot of yet another ragged looking motel. He sure as hell wasn't expecting to see Castiel sitting on one of the beds in the room that they had been given. Opening the door and seeing the angel sitting there, trench coat, jacket, tie and all had been a bit of a shock and instead of simply quirking his lips into a smirk and spouting off a witty comment like he usually would have, Dean simply turned around and closed the door on the angel. Sam, who hadn't seen Castiel gave him a puzzled look, his lips opening to ask what was going on but Dean cut him off by pushing past him. "Need another room. Not that room."

"What, why?" Sam asked while Dean took off towards the lobby. "Wait Dean! What's wrong with the room?" He turned around, opening the door to see nothing but an empty room with usual amenities that came with a motel room. He turned around and looked for his brother, finding him standing halfway between the room and the lobby. He was tense, his shoulders pulled taut, his right hand gripping his duffel bag tightly as if his life depended on it. "Dean?" Sam moved towards Dean to find that Dean wasn't just standing there for no reason. Some one was in his way. "Castiel."

Dean turned to the side and leaned back against the wall, his lips pursed and his brows furrowed together. "Sam Winchester," Castiel said softly, nodding at the taller brother before training his eyes on Dean who would not look at the angel.

"Hey. Haven't seen you in a while. Not since…" Sam trailed off and shuffled his feet nervously. "Been keeping busy?" he asked politely. Sam had to admit, he didn't really have a problem with Castiel as Castiel had always made it perfectly clear that he didn't really care what Sam did as long as it didn't interfere with whatever mission given to him. Uriel had been the one that scared him, angered him and Sam wasn't sorry to say that he was glad the angel was dead.

Castiel looked back at Sam, his brows gathered in a frown as he cocked his head to the side in question. "Yes. I suppose so. I've been looking for you." Then it was Sam's turn to look confused. He frowned and looked at the angel before him who had resumed to staring at his brother. Dean was perfectly silent, his eyes closed and his lips slack.

"Look for us? But you're an angel. Can't you see us wherever we are?" Sam asked but it was obvious Castiel wasn't listening.

"We need to talk," the angel said so softly that Sam could barely hear him but Dean had heard. His eyes snapped open, bright and angry.

"No," he growled out before he stalked back to the room, pushing past Sam and slamming the door behind him in the wake. Sam turned to Castiel and sighed, shrugging at the angel who merely frowned and fallowed the other Winchester into the room, leaving Sam outside wondering what the hell was going on.

When Castiel entered the room, he found Dean pacing about the small space much like a tiger trapped in a too small cage would. He watched for a moment longer, wondering why his charge was acting to strange, so different. Castiel knew that Dean wasn't exactly fond of him, knew that Dean was pulled between feeling grateful and hating him. And if Castiel truly knew the full range of emotions that a human could experience at one single moment, he was sure he'd understand Dean better. But he could only understand certain things. Like the fact that Dean was tired, or that he hated being forced into a corner.

Castiel also knew all about Dean's time in hell. He knew about the thirty years Dean spent on the rack, being cut into, pulled apart and healed only to go through the same thing all over again. He also knew about the ten years Dean spent off the rack, putting other poor souls on it. Castiel had watched over his charge long before he had pulled him from perdition. He had watched Dean fall and hadn't been able to do a thing about it. And when he told Dean the truth, told Dean what he had so desperately wanted to save him from, he saw Dean fall all over again. And Castiel could do nothing and for perhaps the second time in his entire existence Castiel felt helpless.

Dean still paced the hotel room, not meeting Castiel's eyes as he passed by him on each go around. "Dean Winchester," Castiel began, his voice soft, comforting.

"I think we've known each other long enough to drop formalities _Cas_. You don't need to say my last name every time you say my name," Dean spat, cutting off the angel and looking at him for the first time. He stood still, staring at Castiel who simply stared back, hazel green eyes meeting blue, silence filling the room. They stayed that way for a while and to anyone who would have seen them, they would have thought that the two men were having a very intense stare off. Dean was the first one to look away and again he began pacing.

"Dean," Castiel said slowly as if tasting the name on his tongue, trying to decided if he liked it or not. "You are… tense."

"No shit," Dean huffed as he came to stand in front of Castiel yet again.

"Why?" Castiel asked, his brows furrowed and his head tilted to side in all too familiar look telling Dean that he was trying to understand. Dean sighed, his shoulders slumping forward as he sat down on the foot of the nearest bed, his fingers rubbing at his closed eyes, as if trying to starve off an oncoming headache.

"That's a pretty loaded question, Cas."

"You hid from me. I couldn't find you. Why?" he asked yet again, this time his voice holding a hint of seriousness and something else instead of the curiosity with which he had asked before. Dean looked up and again Castiel could see the bruised soul inside.

"I knew that if you found me, you'd try to make me fight," Dean confessed. Castiel noticed that yet again, the man would not meet his eyes. The angel pursed his lips and sat down never to Dean, his hands clasped in front of him. "I can't do it Cas, it's too much. It's too big. It's turning Sam into something dangerous. Something I'm not sure I can stop him from becoming. And it's all my fault." Dean bit his lip, his eyes beginning to sting as tears began to form and he turned his head away, taking a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check, cursing himself for getting emotional in the first place. After all, Dean Winchester did not cry. At least, not at the drop of a hat. Castiel sat silent next to him. "Sam wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't broken down. My dad was on the rack for a century and he didn't break. A century and I caved after thirty." Dean gave a hollow, angry chuckle and felt Castiel shift his weight next to him. Dean half expected to feel the angel's hand on his back but it never came. "If I hadn't come down off that rack, Sam wouldn't feel as though he needed powers in order to save the world. The world wouldn't need to be saved."

"If you hadn't come down off that rack, you'd still be there," Castiel stated and Dean barked another hollow laugh. Castiel shivered at the sound, wincing slightly. It sounded wrong coming from the man sitting next to him.

"Yeah. I'd be in hell. You'd be in heaven. Sam would be normal and the world would be safe." Dean paused and gave a small upward quirk of his lips despite how he was feeling. "Well, safer than it is now." Again there was silence, Castiel taking in every word Dean had said, processing it as Dean sighed, leaning forwards, his head bowed. "I'm sorry Cas but I can't. If I pull myself out I can pull Sam out with me. I can try to keep him safe. I can't do that if we're fighting."

"Sam Winchester will continue down his path whether you fight or not," Castiel said softly and Dean shook his head. "You must fight. It began with you and it must end with you."

"Why me?" Dean yelled standing up suddenly as he turned on Castiel who watched on calmly. "Why my family? What did we ever do to deserve any of this?"

"God works in mysterious-"

"Don't give me that bullshit Cas! Because that's what it is! It's bullshit! My family didn't deserve any of this. My parents were good people. Sam is a good guy and for some damn reason your God shits all over us! And we're just supposed to take it? It isn't fair!" Dean cried. He gasped, one sob that he had been desperately holding back escaping from his lips. He turned away and covered his face, trying to gain control of his breathing, trying to gain control of himself.

Castiel sighed and stood up, coming to stand in front of Dean who was shaking, trying so hard to reign in his emotions but Castiel could tell that he was losing the battle. "You're right. It isn't fair. Nothing is fair in this world Dean." Castiel said it softly, understanding, not matter-of-factly or meanly as any other person might have said it. "I know you don't want to but I have to ask it of you."

"Don't. Please don't. I can't do it. I'm not strong enough. I'm sorry but I'm just not strong enough," Dean whimpered shaking his head and finally the angel's hand came to rest on his shoulders.

"Dean. You have to continue. I will help you as much as I can but you must fight. It's not just humanity, your world, we are trying to save Dean, but heaven too." Dean looked at Castiel and slowly nodded. He knew well enough by now that if he didn't agree that the angel in front of him would force him too, no matter how many times he said he wished he didn't have to.

Castiel nodded and his hands slipped away. And Dean never felt more alone in his entire life.


	3. Chapter Three

**Title: **Narcolepsy**  
Chapter:** (3/?)  
**Series:** Supernatural**  
Author:** Alex Graves  
**Pairing: **Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby implied.**  
Rating:Warnings: Spoilers for 4.16**, angst, violence, and slash.**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural. It belongs to its creators and the network that runs it. No copywrite infringement intended.**  
A/N:** Third chapter. Gave me a bit of trouble and went three different ways before I finally settled on one but I think it's pretty good if not horribly angsty. Because seriously, I am all about the angst. Anyways, enjoy!

**Summary:** The Winchesters visit a town that seems to suffer the nightmares of a narcoleptic. Can the boys save them or will it be the last straw for Dean

**Chapter Three**_  
And I say I, I try to keep awake  
I try to swim beneath; I try to keep awake but I…_

Sam pushed the door to the room open slowly, his head popping through the space as he gave an awkward smile, looking at the two men already inside of the room. "Is it okay for me to come in now?" he asked, looking back and forth between Castiel and Dean. Dean who turned away, his hand covering his eyes and his lips pulled in a grimace. Castiel looked the picture of calm like always. Sam pushed the door open all the way and entered fully, concern written clearly on his face as he pushed the door close and made his way towards his brother. "Dean? Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out but Dean backed up quickly, dropping his hand and sniffling slightly.

"Yeah man. I'm cool. I'm great," he stated with a smile, the left corner of his mouth lifting higher than the right as he waved off his brother. But Sam saw his eyes, tinted slightly red and knew that his brother was lying yet again. "I was just talking to Cas about why we're here in Hell," Dean quipped. Sam looked at the angel to find him once again cocking his head to the side, looking at Dean in confusion. Dean sputtered a sad, awkward laugh as he looked back and forth between Sam and Castiel who were both wearing similar expressions but for different reasons. "Michigan. We're in Hell _Michigan_." Castiel's brows furrowed deeper and Sam rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Obviously he wasn't going to find out what was going on between his brother and the angel from them. "Jeez, tough crowd," Dean huffed before he plopped down onto the bed he had been sitting on earlier.

"Right. Castiel, earlier you said you couldn't find us? Why?" Sam asked and the angel turned his gaze away from Dean and fixed it on the taller Winchester.

"Dean was blocking me," he stated simply. Sam turned to his brother who was looking out the window, whistling.

"Dean?" Dean didn't answer which Sam expected and was used to but that didn't mean it didn't annoy him. "Dean," he snapped, gaining his brother's attention who stared at him frowning. "Was there a reason you decided to hide us from Castiel with out telling me?" Dean stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you wouldn't notice," Dean smiled, his eyebrows raised as he looked up at his brother. Sam bit his lip and puffed up a bit as if trying to hold in all his anger that seemed about to explode.

"You were hoping I wouldn't notice? Dean what is going on? First you're taken from me, forced to torture Alistair. Then when I finally find you, you're knocked out, looking like you were the one who got tortured instead. I find Castiel about to be blown from his body. And afterwards! I left you for one hour Dean! One hour! Now something must have happened in that one hour because I come back and you can't wait to leave. And now it turns out you were preventing an angel, _a freaking angel_ Dean, from reaching us?" Sam took a breath and raked both hands through his hair in frustration. "Just tell me what the hell is going on Dean!"

Dean wasn't looking at Sam anymore. His eyes were locked on the figure standing behind Sam and he looked scared. Like he would give anything in the world not to answer the one question Dean just asked. And Castiel? He still had that damn calm blank expression on his face, not giving anything away. Sam was sure this wasn't helping Dean who was staring at the angel as if begging him to help Dean out of it. But Castiel didn't say a word and Dean sat down heavily on the bed. "Just tell me what's wrong," Sam said.

"Okay." He paused and looked up at his brother. "You might want to sit down." Sam sighed but pulled a chair from and adjacent table and set it in front of Dean, sitting down calmly though inside his heart was beating terribly fast. "There's something you should know about the first seal."

"Why? It's broken. Why should it matter?"

"Because Dean broke it," Castiel answered after Dean sat silent for a few moments, startling Sam. He turned around and looked at the angel, who stood completely still staring at the opposite wall, his eyes distant. Sam looked back at Dean, the expression he wore begging Dean to tell him it wasn't true. It couldn't be. Dean had gone through enough, done enough and if it was true, it would have been better had he not known. And Dean didn't answer, just bowed his head, bit his lip and covered his eyes and Sam could tell that his brother was trying hard not to cry.

"I don't understand. How? He wasn't here, he was in hell," Sam whispered.

"To break the first seal, a righteous man had to fall. Dean was that righteous man. When he came down off the rack and cut into that first soul, the seal was broken." Castiel did not look at either Dean or Sam during his explanation and this just served to piss off Sam even more.

The next thing Dean knew, Sam had slammed the angel up against the wall, holding him up by the lapels of his trench coat. "Sam!" Dean cried jumping up from the bed.

"Why did you tell him? Hasn't he gone through enough? Hasn't he done enough?" Sam yelled, shaking the angel who finally settled his eyes on him. Sam glared at the angel noticing how he still showed no emotion but Sam could feel the power building beneath his fingertips and Castiel's eyes now held anger in them. Dean had crossed the room and was now trying to pull his brother off the angel, not to protect Castiel but to protect Sam. But Sam pushed Dean away and pressed Castiel even harder against the wall. "Why? What could you possibly gain by telling him? It seems like you angels only want to see us suffer, only want to see him suffer!"

"Sam, stop it!" Dean tried yet again to pull his brother away but felt himself held back by some force. Dean looked at Castiel, trying to gauge whether or not it was the angel holding him back but Dean could tell by the tension in Castiel's shoulders that he was holding himself back. It wasn't Castiel holding him back; it was Sam. "Sammy! Let me go!"

"Samuel Winchester, you are walking a very fine line," Castiel said softly, but his voice held the fury of something far bigger than Sam or Dean had ever come up against. Dean pushed against the force holding him back but he couldn't budge, couldn't do anything to stop what was happening. Sam had gotten stronger but Dean knew that he would still be no match for Castiel.

"No! You're walking the fine line! All you do is order us around, force us to do things we should never have to do! Do you really think God approves of torture?" Sam continued, shaking Castiel hard enough that the angel banged his head on the wall behind him, wincing slightly at the pain which he had not expected and Dean gasped as he began pushing in earnest at the force.

"Sam he didn't tell me!" Dean gasped and finally Sam dropped both Castiel and Dean who fell forward and braced himself on his hands and knees as he took a deep breath. He stood up and grabbed Sam, pulling him away from Castiel. "He didn't tell me. Alistair told me, not Castiel."

"Alistair told you," Sam growled and Dean nodded, watching his brother well up in another surge of anger. "Well what do you know," Sam said softly, turning towards the angel yet again. "Alistair wouldn't have told him if you hadn't forced Dean to torture him!"

"I was only fallowing orders. I did not wish it. God willed it therefore it must be so," Castiel ground out. Dean knew that Castiel was trying to keep calm, trying to keep his anger in check, knew that he was still learning about human emotions and that meant he was probably only just really learning this one.

"Fuck that!" Sam yelled as he took at step towards the angel but Dean quickly stepped in the way, putting himself between them, his hands grabbing Sam's shirt collar so he could pull him down.

"Stop this! It's not his fault, you here me? Castiel is not to blame, I am. You want to get angry at someone, you get angry at me. Not at him. You got me?" Dean growled as Sam's eyes widened a fraction. Sam swallowed the spit in his mouth, working his throat as he shook his head.

"No. No it's not your fault. You can't think that!" Sam stated softly, shaking his head as Dean nodded his. "No it isn't! You didn't know about the seals! You didn't know what you were doing!"

"I knew perfectly well what I was doing, Sam," Dean said gruffly, shaking his younger brother for emphasis. "I knew exactly what I was doing when I came down off that rack. I've done things Sam that I am not proud of. I wasn't crazed. I wasn't insane. I knew exactly what I was doing. It doesn't matter if I didn't know about the seals, I hurt people, Sammy. I tortured them. I was their hell." Sam shook his head and closed his eyes, biting his lip and asking Dean to stop. "No. You want to know, don't you? You want all the gory details. You want to know exactly what your big brother became?" Sam pulled back from Dean who held on steadfastly. Sam needed to hear it and Dean; well Dean realized he needed to hear it too. Needed to accept what happened and move on. Because if he didn't then the world really _was_ screwed.

"Dean, please-"

"I was a monster Sam. I became the thing we hunted, the shit we still hunt. I hurt people. I put them on that rack, I tortured them, and I gave them a bit of pleasure only to take it back the next second. I broke them and I fucking enjoyed it. I enjoyed what I did. Because it meant that I wasn't up there. Meant that I wasn't the one being sliced into."

"Dean, stop it," Sam begged, shaking his head. But Dean continued, his grip on Sam's shirt loosening as he went into detail, recalling people who he tortured, who they were before Dean snapped them in two.

"Alistair said I was his best student," Dean sneered when Sam finally broke free, shaking his head. "Said I had a lot of talent. Said that old yellow eyes should have filled me with that demon blood and not you."

"No!" Sam cried out, back tracking so that he was in front Dean, grabbing at his loose shirt as if to hold onto him, to bring his brother back. "No Dean. Not you!"

"Yes me! Hell I'm beginning to think he was right! Because then I wouldn't have been a righteous man! Then I would still be in hell and you; you could have gone back to your life! You could have started over. You could have been a lawyer like you wanted and you would have been happy, and you would have been safe, you'd be safe!" And before Dean could say another word, he was engulfed in his younger brother, face smothered in his shoulder, nose inhaling the scent of his shirt that was becoming quickly damp with what Dean could only guess were his own tears. And instead of standing still or pushing his brother away, Dean held on just as tightly as he let go and cried. Cried for the life he lost, the life he never had. Cried for his father who never got to see his mom right after he died like he should have. Cried for his father who had to suffer a century of hell before he was finally able to rest. Cried for Sam who didn't get the life he wanted, he deserved. For all the shitty Christmases without gifts, or Santa Cause or their dad. For Jessica who went up in flames just like their mother, all because she loved Sam. Cried for the fact that his brother was forced fed demon blood when he was only six months old. Cried for the fact that even the angels didn't think that he was worthy of being saved because he was. If anyone was worthy of those pearly white gates it was Sam. Beautiful, naïve, stupid Sam who only wanted to help, only wanted to use what crap cards he had been given to do good, to bring about something good. Sam who had faith, who believed that you were rewarded for the good you did and that God forgave but he didn't. And Sam deserved to be forgiven. Hell, shouldn't have to be forgiven. Sam fucking deserved apologies from God, from his father, from Castiel, Uriel, Azazel, and even Dean himself.

And Sam just held on silently, crying just as much as Dean, burying his nose in Dean's hair, his tears dampening Dean's stupid gelled to perfection, foul but wonderful smelling hair which pricked at his eyes and his cheeks and his lips but he didn't care. Didn't care because finally Dean was leaning on him for once. Finally letting Sam take some of the weight that was bogging him down off of him and onto himself. And damn it all if Sam didn't hold on just a bit tighter, just a bit longer than perhaps reasonable or socially acceptable because Sam fucking loved his brother, needed him like oxygen because Dean's always been constant, always been there and strong, and wonderful and even if Sam gave him tons of shit when they were growing up and still did, he wouldn't trade Dean for anything in the world. Wouldn't change anything. Wouldn't change one god damn thing about his life with Dean because then it wouldn't have been his, wouldn't have been worth living, it wouldn't have been _right_ because without Dean there was nothing. He learned that quickly during the six months he had been without Dean while facing the Trickster. Relearned it again when Dean finally went to hell for another four months. His own personal hell and Sam still wondered how he had managed when he had been at Stanford. But it didn't matter now because Dean was there, in his arms, holding onto him just as tightly if not a bit more and god damn there was a burning in his chest.

And Sam prayed. Prayed to God that if he could just answer one prayer it would be this. Because he prayed for Dean. Prayed that after all was said and done, after everything was through, that Dean be rewarded. That when it was finally time, his time and he was good and ready that Dean got something better than this. Got his rest, his peace. And if Dean got that? Well Sam would happily let any angel destroy him. Sam would happily welcome oblivion and hell and demons and yellow eyes. Would happily be strung up on that rack for thirty years and more because he would know that Dean was happy, that he was at peace and that's all that mattered.

And Castiel could hear it all. He could hear the sobs that racked both bodies that gripped at each other tight as if their entire _being_ depended on it. Could hear the thoughts that ran through their heads, so very different and yet so frighteningly the same. Both just praying for the other, praying for the salvation of not themselves like so many other mortals but for some one else, some one dear. Sacrifice. And even though Castiel had been alive for more than two millennia, had watched humans discover and grow, he never truly understood what true love and sacrifice was until this very instant. Until he heard the Winchester's thoughts and prayers scream out deafeningly to a God Castiel was having a hard time believing that he was even there. Before Castiel even knew what was happening, he felt a dampening on his cheeks and he touched them in surprise, feeling the wetness there beneath his fingertips and atop his cheek that was heated, warm, flushed. He could feel his brows pull together as he looked at his fingertips, tears glistening wetly as light hit them and refracted before he looked back at the brothers and he knew. Knew that he shouldn't be there, shouldn't be witnessing something so personal, something so intimate, something so unbelievably beautiful. But instead of leaving like he knew a normal person would, excusing themselves awkwardly out the door, he stood there, taking it all in.

And he prayed. Prayed that God heard their prayers and answered both of them. Prayed that his faith would be enough to get him heard. Because if an angel's prayers couldn't reach him, Castiel knew there was no way Dean's or Sam's could.


	4. Chapter Four

**Title: **Narcolepsy**  
Chapter: **4/?  
**Series:** Supernatural  
**Author: **Alex Graves/frayed1989  
**Pairing: **Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby implied.**  
Rating: **PG13 for this chapter  
**Warnings: Spoilers for 4.16**, angst, violence, and slash.**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural. It belongs to its creators and the network that runs it. No copywrite infringement intended.**  
A/N:**Right-o! Fourth chapter. Again, hard times. Some writers block and then college got in the way and well, it took a damn long time. Anyways, here it is for your enjoyment which I hope you do- enjoy it, that is!

**Summary:** The Winchesters visit a town that seems to suffer the nightmares of a narcoleptic. Can the boys save them or will it be the last straw for Dean

**Chapter Four:**_  
But I, I can feel this narcolepsy slide. . .  
into another nightmare._

Castiel didn't know how long the brothers stood like that, wrapped up in each other, clinging to the other as if they thought the other would disappear if they didn't hold on tight enough. Didn't know how long he stood there watching, an ache beginning to form in his chest. Didn't know when the ache came or why it made him want to cry even more, not really understanding why his vessel was crying in the first place. A part of him thought it only lasted a second and an hour for Castiel sometimes did indeed feel like a second to him after being alive for as long as he had been. And another part of him felt that it went on forever, that it could go on forever, Dean and Sam holding onto each other, Sam finally being the support that Dean needed and Dean finally, truly, beginning to heal. And Castiel thought that the ache in his chest would consume him

But everything must come to an end and finally the boys slowly pulled away from each other, sniffling, giving each other hard thumps on the back as they backed away, pushing their hands into their pockets. They stared at each other red eyed as they cracked wide grins before they began laughing. Castiel still looked on, observing the two as they laughed and reached for each other again, needing support for something else, for pure joy and love. Dean's green eyes crinkled into crows feet as Sam bit his lip, trying to hold in his laughter and Castiel wondered yet again how humans could go through so many ranges of emotions in so short a period of time. He wondered why he never offered this sort of support to his brother; wondered why it never occurred to him until now; wondered if perhaps he had maybe Uriel wouldn't have turned, wondered if he'd still be alive and the ache in his chest grew even more.

"Cas!" Dean's voice jostled him out of his morose thoughts and the angel once again focused his attention on him. "Dude, you're still here?" Before Castiel had a chance to reply, Dean had crossed the distance between them, his eyes narrowing as he took in the angel's red eyes and damp cheeks. "Have you been crying?" he asked surprised as soon Castiel found both of the Winchesters up close and personal.

"I- I believe so," Castiel replied softly, his brows pulled together in frustration as he tried to understand why he had been crying in the first place.

"You're a sympathetic crier!" Sam exclaimed, bright smile plastered on his face and Castiel thought it looked strange when he aimed that smile at anyone else besides Dean.

"What is a sympathetic crier?" Castiel asked Dean as he shied away from Sam and his bright child-like smile. Dean laughed and thumped Castiel hard on the back like he had done to Sam only a short few moments before.

"Means you cry when you see other people cry," Dean grinned and again Castiel could feel the ache.

"I do not understand," Castiel stated as he moved away from Dean and he frowned, not understanding why he did so. Castiel looked back to see Dean open his mouth as if to try to explain it again but Castiel stopped him by raising his hand. "I do not cry," he began. "I have seen people," he paused looking at Dean pointedly as he moved about the room, his fingertips sliding over the tops of anything in his reach, letting Dean know exactly who he mean by people, "cry many times before and have never cried because of it. Angels do not cry," he stated matter-of-factly causing Dean to chuckle as he sat down on the bed.

"Well, hate to tell you this but you just did Cas. You just cried," Dean grinned. "Never thought I'd see it but damn! You're eyes are really blood shot!" Castiel frowned and looked away from Dean's amused gaze, feeling self-conscious and again not understanding why. "Face it Cas, you're becoming human," Dean grinned, the statement making Castiel jerk violently were he stood, now still, his muscles tense, his face pulled tight in a grimace. "Cas?" Dean asked worriedly as he reached out to touch the angel who only pulled away. "What's wrong? Is it what I said?"

"Dean didn't mean it like that!" Sam began, trying to get Castiel to look at him but the angel wouldn't open his eyes. "He meant that we're just rubbing off on you. I mean it's only natural. You've been in your vessel for so long now that you must be feeling what he would have felt," Sam explained, trying to calm him. Castiel shook his head, finally looking at the boys who were almost as tense as he was.

"No. Angels are not supposed to feel, even when we inhabit a vessel. It is not how our father made us. It is not how he intended it." He paused looking down at his feet, fear pulsing in his veins and the ache in his chest threatening to overcome him. "It is how angels fall."

"You're kidding," Dean sputtered, staring up at Castiel whose lips thinned as his brows pulled together yet again.

"No. I am not."

"Well that's- that's!" Dean began standing up. "That's ridiculous! Angels can fall all because they feel?" Dean asked in disbelief as Castiel nodded slowly.

"Yes. It is why Anna fell-"

"No. Anna fell because she wanted to fall," Dean cut in quickly, his eyes hardening as he stared at Castiel. "Anna wanted to feel. She chose to fall, okay. There's a difference."

"Why should an angel want to fall, Dean?" Castiel asked. "We are not made to feel. We do not know what we miss because of it. If one cannot feel, how can one desire it? How can one know to miss it?" Dean didn't answer, merely looked away. "I know my purpose. I know what I was made for. I am an angel of the lord, sent to protect his creations. I was not given free will or the ability to feel. And I was fine with it. It was my purpose- _is_ my purpose."

"Sounds like your trying awfully hard to convince yourself of that, Cas," Dean stated. "You already told me you have doubts-"

"I should not," Castiel began, cutting off Dean who only continued.

"But you do. You have doubts. Everyone has doubts." Again Castiel opened his mouth to interject but Dean stopped him with a raise of his hand. "I get it. You're an angel. You're not supposed to have doubts or feelings but you do. You need to stop dwelling on what you're supposed to be and start dealing with what you are. You're not just an angel anymore, Cas. You're something more." Both Sam and Dean watched Castiel as he took in what Dean said, his browns furrowing as he thought on it before he turned to Dean, his eyes searching and almost frantic compared to the calm of his body.

"I don't know how," he whispered. Dean frowned while Sam chuckled and shook his head as he mumbled, "welcome to the club."

"Ignore him," Dean said when Castiel show the younger Winchester a surprised look. "Listen Cas, it's okay that you don't. Most people don't deal with half the stuff they've got." Sam coughed a blatant "Dean" at this to which Dean shot him a glare. "You wanna shut up?" Dean growled as Sam frowned, nodding his head. Dean turned back to Castiel with a strained smile. "Anyways, what I'm saying is don't worry about it. You just gotta concentrate on fighting, on stopping the seals from breaking. Because when this is all over and done with, you'll be back in heaven and you'll forget all about your doubts, your feelings, and us."

Castiel sat silent for a moment as he thought on Dean's words. He knew that most of what Dean said was right, that he shouldn't focus on himself but on the seals and thus the fate of the world. But the feelings were new, thrilling, and terrifying. They consumed him. And he knew he'd never forget them, knew he'd never forget the humans he met and the feelings they invoked. Especially Dean. Castiel would never forget Dean, could never forget him even if he wanted to. Knew that the moment he stepped into hell and gripped Dean tight, leaving his hand upon Dean's skin, scaring, a permanent reminder. Knew he would never forget Dean for as long as he lived. So Castiel nodded and Dean moved to stand up before Castiel's soft voice stopped him.

"You're wrong," he whispered and both Dean and Sam looked at him strangely. "I won't forget," he clarified and Sam smiled but Dean only stared, green eyes meeting blue, wondering what exactly the angel meant.

* * *

Dean chewed his burger slowly, not relishing the taste like one would think but instead thinking on the angel and what had passed only an hour ago. Dean knew that Castiel was still there, sitting on his bed, thinking it all over just as Dean was doing. He just didn't understand it really. Didn't understand how the angel got under his skin, made him actually _care_ because if Dean was truthful, which he was, only five people in the history of his life had actually gotten under his skin. His parents, Sammy, Bobby, and Cassie. _Cassie,_ Dean thought, stopping mid chew as his brows burrowed in thought. _Cassie… Castiel… Cas… well what'dya know?_ He 'humfed' softly and continued chewing, decided to put that thought away for another day. A day when perhaps his brother wasn't staring at him like he was losing his mind. Dean swallowed his burger and stared back at Sam for a moment before asking "is my face especially handsome today or do you just love me that much?" Dean grinned as Sam pulled a grimace as he shook his head, leaning forward on the table slightly.

"No. You just looked like you were thinking pretty hard about something. Wanna fill me in?" he asked. Dean shrugged, shaking his head as he bit into his burger, chewing it quickly before swallowing. "It's about Castiel, isn't it? About what he said?"

"Sam," Dean said warningly as he paused yet again in eating his burger, which was something he rarely, if ever did.

"Dean," Sam replied, holding his brother in a staring contest for a moment before he broke out into a grin.

"What?" Dean asked taken aback by his brother who was now starting to laugh. "What the hell is so funny, Sam, huh?"

"You're totally freaking out!" Sam laughed, trying hard to keep it inside as he clutched at his sides, biting his lip.

"I am not freaking out!" Dean whispered harshly, leaning forward as he glared at Sam. "And what, may I ask, am I supposed to be freaking out about?"

"Castiel," Sam stated simply, his eyes beginning to tear with laughter at the idea of it. It had been becoming pretty obvious in the past few months. At first it wasn't much. Sam had begun to notice how the angel had begun to pick up Dean's mannerisms, how he happened to show up exactly when Dean needed him the most and how Dean had begun to relax around the angel, letting his defenses slowly slip away, something he only did around a few select people. And then after the whole Alistair debacle, watching how the angel watched over his brother in the hospital, how he hovered as if being pulled in two directions, one towards Dean. It had become blatantly obvious then that the angel felt something for his brother and the way that Dean was dwelling on Castiel, Sam knew that the feelings were mutual.

"Cas? I'm freaking out about Cas?" Dean asked confused as Sam merely swallowed back his laugh as he took a bite of his salad before nodding. "What would I be freaking out about him?"

"Because he likes you," Sam stated simply, not looking up at his brother as he continued to eat but he knew very well what expression Dean was currently wearing.

"What?"

"And you like him," Sam continued taking another bite before sitting back and smirking at Dean who sputtered and shook his head.

"Dude! Castiel's a- he's a guy! He's male! I do _not_ swing that way," Dean stated emphatically.

"I never implied it that way," Sam stated, his smirk only growing wider as Dean huffed, his brows furrowed and his lips pulled in a frown. "And technically he's genderless. His vessel happens to be male."

"Oh shut it, will you?" Dean groused as he took a rather savage bit out of his burger, chewing almost violently while he thought on what Sam was saying.

"Come on Dean. It's not a bad thing. You've got a freaking guardian angel who happens to care whether or not you live or die."

"Yeah, only because it turns out I'm the only one that can stop the apocalypse," Dean scoffed, taking another bite of his burger, this one softer, less angry and his voice gave away the feeling of hurt as if he actually believed what he was saying.

"No," Sam began shaking his head. "Not just because of that. You really don't see the way he looks at you, do you? It's like he's always fighting with himself. He wants to help you but he can't because the host won't let him. You didn't see him when you were in that hospital bed hooked up to all those machines, Dean. He looked freaking _scared_. Don't know why though. He pulled you out of hell and I'm sure if it came down to it, he'd bring you back again," Sam stated as he looked out the window, his arms crossed over his chest while Dean sat silently, now not touching his food at all. The sat in silence for a while, Dean staring at his plate while Sam stared at him.

Sam sighed and leaned forward. "Look, it's not a bad thing. Man I wish I had an angel watching over me the way Castiel watches over you."

"Sam-"

"Nah man, it's cool. What I'm saying is, it's okay if you like him and it doesn't matter to me what way you like him not that I'm saying you like him _that_ way. I'm saying that he's a good guy and I'm glad you've got an angel watchin' out for you. If anyone in this world deserves on Dean, it's you."

Dean sighed, staring down at his plate as he processed his brother's words. He wasn't quiet sure what they meant but he knew that Sam was giving him his blessing, for what Dean had no clue. But whatever it meant, it could only be good and he figured Sam was right. Sort of. Because he also thought if anyone deserved a guardian angel, it was his brother. So Dean picked up the rest of his burger and bit into it, giving Sam a big smile as he looked up at him. Sam nodded and dug into the rest of his salad and Dean thought for a moment that his mother had been right. Angels were watching over him.


	5. Chapter Five

**Title: **Narcolepsy  
**Chapter: **5/?  
**Series:** Supernatural**  
Author:** Alex Graves/frayed1989  
**Pairing: **Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby implied.**  
Rating:** R overall, PG13 for this chapter.  
**Warnings: Spoilers for 4.16**, angst, violence, and slash.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural. It belongs to its creators and the network that runs it. No copywrite infringement intended.**  
A/N: **PIE TIME!**  
**

**Summary:** The Winchesters visit a town that seems to suffer the nightmares of a narcoleptic. Can the boys save them or will it be the last straw for Dean?

**Chapter Five**_  
And there's a demon in my head who starts to play  
A nightmare tape loop of what went wrong yesterday_

"Tell me again why we're not buying any pie?" Dean asked Sam as he pulled out his keys to the impala. Sam sighed and shook his head as he watched his brother from over the hood of the car.

"Because they would have had to bake a new one and we don't have time to wait for it. We still have research to do and I'm sure Cas is waiting for us back at the room." Dean nodded, tilting his head to the side before he opened the door and slit into the driver's seat as Sam followed suit.

"What kind of diner runs out of pie? Seriously?"

"A seriously bad one?" Sam chuckled while Dean gave a small laugh of agreement as he leaned forward to start the car before turning his attention to the box of taps settled between the seats to search for music to fit his mood. "Dean."

"Nu-uh Sammy. I've caved in the last two times and listened to your chick music. It's my turn to choose the tune-age," Dean groused as he batted Sam's hand away which had begun swatting at his back.

"Dean!" Sam said louder, still hitting at Dean who swatted back as he continued rummaging through his cassette tape collection.

"I mean it Sam. I've been pretty cool with lettin' you pick the music but it's my damn turn!"

"DEAN!" Sam shouted and Dean shot up in his seat, fixing Sam with his most menacing glare but found his brother staring out the windshield rather than looking at him.

"What-" he started before turning his attention to whatever had his brother's rapt attention only to see that approaching his car was a black figure on an equally black, giant looking horse. "What the-" Dean squinted his eyes as a thick fog began to overtake the parking lot. "Is that?" he began as he took in the figure's hunched shoulders and lack of head.

"The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow?" Sam finished, watching as the figure raised one arm upwards to the sky his hand gripping a giant ax. "I'm thinking yes."

"Is he about to do what I think he is about to do?" Dean asked warily watching the Headless Horseman. The Horseman reared his horse back almost as if in warning before he brought his arm down, ax thumping heavily onto the impala, denting the hood of the car as Sam jumped in his seat yelling while Dean grappled at the door handle, trying to get it open but failing in his haste. "Son-of-a-bitch! I'm gonna kill him!" Finally Dean threw the car door open, ignoring Sam's calls as he slammed the door shut and scrambled to the trunk. He could hear people screaming and the horse snuffling angrily a few feet away. He could also hear the hoof beats of the giant horse drawing closer as he fumbled with his keys, trying to get the trunk open, accomplishing it a few seconds later.

"Dean!" Sam cried as he watched the Headless Horseman, who had made his way around the car to Dean, raise his arm over his head as Dean rummaged through the trunk, grabbing a small shotgun and a few rounds of rock salt. The Headless Horseman's arm came down heavily, shutting the trunk with Dean's hand almost still in it but the Winchester had pulled away just in time, falling back onto the concrete, gun and rounds in hand. The horse reared back yet again, its giant hooves threatening as Dean scrambled backwards to the passenger side of the car. He sat back, pressed against the door as he shoved a round into the gun while listening to the hooves. "Dean!" Dean looked up to see Sam at the window of the car, palms pressed to the window as he looked down at his brother, worry and fear etched across his face.

"Stay in the car, Sammy!" Dean yelled as he cocked the gun, his gaze fixed on the Headless Horseman who was now coming towards him. Dean took aim and pulled the trigger, feeling the backlash against his stomach, watching as the rounds hit the horse which reared back, confused and angry before in continued moving closer. "Fuck!" Dean scrambled up, making his way around the car while fire off reloading the shogun before firing off another round in hopes to slow the Horseman down. "Why isn't it working?"

"It's not a spirit Dean! It's the actual thing!" Sam yelled from inside the car. "It's undead!"

"That means nothing!" Dean spat as he reloaded the gun yet again, firing at the Horseman who only continued slowly towards Dean, now unfazed.

"It does this time! He's not real so he's immune to conventional methods!" Sam replied, watching in horror as his brother continued running around the car, the Horseman fallowing menacingly behind.

"Then how the hell am I supposed to kill it?"

"I don't know! I don't think you can!"

"Damn it Sam!" Dean cursed, watching as the Horseman changed course, opting to stalk towards a family that had just left the diner. "No!" Dean yelled, firing off another shot at the Horseman, hitting him square in the back. But again the Horseman continued on, unfazed. "Come on you son of a bitch! You don't want them! You want me!" The family was standing in front of the diner, the father stepping out in front of his wife and two kids, trying to protect them.

Dean cursed loudly yet again as he jumped into the impala, the engine firing to life a few seconds later as Dean whipped out of the parking spot. "Dean, what are you doing?" Dean didn't answer, just griped the steering wheel tighter as he turned to car towards the Horseman, pressing on the gas. "Dean, stop!"

"Not gonna let anyone die today, Sammy," Dean ground out as they began to hurtle towards the Horseman who seemed unaware of the impala, only concentrating on the cowering family in front of him. He raised his giant arm, ready to strike when Dean plowed the impala into the horse which dispersed around them, both horse and Horseman disappearing into the vanishing fog. Dean slammed on the breaks quickly and the two Sat in the car, both taking deep breaths as they looked about the parking lot before looking at each other. Dean sighed; closing his eyes as he rested his forehead on the steering wheel while Sam rolled down his window and looked at the family. "

You guys okay?" he asked, the father nodding quietly while the mother hugged her kids. "Right."

"Sammy," Dean groaned as Sam turned his attention back to Dean. "After we're done here, we're going straight to Bobby's." Sam only nodded while Dean stared at the giant dent on the hood of his car. "Son of a fucking bitch!"

* * *

Castiel's head snapped up immediately when he heard the bolt in the lock slide back and was up off the bed when Dean pushed the door open, stomping into the room, his shoulders hunched, mumbling to himself as he sat down in an adjacent chair. Castiel turned his gaze over to Sam who calmly closed the door before answering, "had a run in with one of the nightmares," to Castiel's unasked question. Castiel nodded and sat back down again.

"I'm gonna kill that girl," Dean growled, pointing at Sam who rolled his eyes and shook his head as he sat down at the table across from Dean. Castiel looked at him curiously, confused.

"No you won't. It wasn't exactly her fault," Sam stated as he pulled out his laptop from his backpack to continue researching.

"We don't know that!" Dean exclaimed. "She could be a witch! She could have summoned that thing!" Sam gave Dean a pointed look while Castiel continued to watch the interaction between the brothers, trying to understand what was going on. "My car has a dent in it Sam! That thing tried to ax my car!"

"Tried? It did ax your car, Dean." Dean pulled himself up in his seat, looking as if he was about to launch himself across the table at Sam and tackle him to the floor for even _thinking_ such a thing. Sam sighed and rolled his eyes yet again. "She's fourteen, Dean. I highly doubt she's a witch. Besides, how could se summon the Headless Horseman when it doesn't exist?"

"What do you mean, doesn't exist? We thought Bloody Mary didn't exist and she did!" Dean exclaimed and Sam shook his head.

"Bloody Mary was a fluke. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a story Dean, written by the same guy who wrote _Rip Van Winkle_. The actual Legend doesn't exist," Sam stated and Dean shook his head, jumping up from his chair as he begun to pace the room.

"Well every legend has a bit of truth in it don't they? I mean, the guy had to get the idea from somewhere!"

"Yeah, he got it from another guy who recorded a similar story. Dean, I'm telling you, the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow is just fiction! He isn't real!" Sam stated exasperated.

"Isn't real? Explain that to my car Sam!" Dean cried angrily. Sam sighed, shaking his head as he chose to ignore Dean and turn his attention back to his laptop. Dean huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked over at Castiel who had not moved since he had sat down. "Well, what do you think, Cas?"

"I agree with Sam. The girl is not a witch and the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow is just that, a legend," he stated simply as Dean through his hands up in the air angrily.

"It was real enough when it almost _killed_ me," he cried as Castiel cocked his head to the side, the familiar confused expression crossing his features as he looked over Dean, eyes taking in every detail of his body, checking for injuries or anything tell him that what Dean was saying was true, that he almost did die, but except for his heart rate which had picked up a bit since he left earlier, nothing seemed amiss. "Dude," Dean began, taking a step back as he watched Castiel look him over yet again. "You're creeping me out. Stop checking me out." Sam tried to hold back a laugh when Castiel only continued to look over Dean's being once again, only this time standing up, reaching out to grip Dean's left bicep, forcing him to turn around. "Dude! Seriously! Personal space! You're in mine."

"You do not have any serious injuries and you're just as loud as always," Castiel stated as he turned Dean back around, the taller man giving him a strange look. "What is it?"

"Where were you?" Dean asked and Castiel titled his head to the side, trying to understand what Dean meant. "We were in trouble," Dean clarified. "Where were you?"

"Dean-" Sam began, reaching out for his brother but Dean batted his hand away, still looking at the angel in front of him, his lips pursed while the angel stared blankly back.

"I did not know that you would have liked my help," Castiel said softly, his brows pulling together tightly as he looked up at Dean. "You have never wanted it before." Dean finally noticed the uncomfortable closeness of the angel who only stood a few inches away, so close that Dean could faintly feel the angel's breath on his neck and he wondered briefly why angels needed to breath before remembering that it was a vessel he was looking at, that someone else was in there, and that someone needed air.

"Yeah, well," Dean paused, searching for something to say, wondering why he was concentrating so hard on the angel inches away from him. "You angels are pretty handy in a fight. Could always do with more back up," he finished softly, looking down at Castiel who only titled his head and looked back up at him. Sam coughed loudly and both Dean and Castiel snapped their attention to him.

"You two want some alone time? Because I could go outside," he asked with a slight smirk, chuckling when Castiel's brows furrowed in confusion even more and then ducking his head when Dean chucked a pillow at him.

"I thought you were busy researching!" Dean growled but Sam only shook his head and threw the pillow back at his brother. Dean sighed and turned back to Castiel who took a step back as if just realizing how close he was. "Right. Well." Dean bit his lip and scratched absently at his neck as Castiel looked down at his shoes before his gaze returned to Dean's eyes.

"I shall try to help you in your future endeavors from now on." Dean nodded. "That is as long as the host allows me to," Castiel nodded after what seemed to be some thought. Dean shrugged and plopped down on the bed closest to him.

"Ok then, don't hold out. Got it," he said, taping his temple with his index finger before sighing. "Guess you don't have any intel on what it is we're exactly dealing with do you?" Dean asked, hoping for some information from the angel but not expecting any. Castiel pursed his lips in thought, his eyes boring into Dean's.

"Yes," Castiel began, his voice low and serious. "You are to save a seal."


	6. Chapter Six

**Title: **Narcolepsy  
**Chapter: **6/?  
**Series:** Supernatural  
**Author: **Alex Graves/frayed1989  
**Pairing: **Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby implied.**  
Rating: **R overall, PG13 for this chapter.  
**Warnings: Spoilers for 4.16**, angst, violence, and slash.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural. It belongs to its creators and the network that runs it. No copywrite infringement intended.**  
A/N: **Next installment is finally here! Sorry it took so damn long. I could give you all my excuses but I figure you'd rather just read it instead. Enjoy!

**Summary:** The Winchesters visit a town that seems to suffer the nightmares of a narcoleptic. Can the boys save them or will it be the last straw for Dean?

**Chapter Six**_  
And I hold my breath till it's more than I can take  
And I close my eyes and dream that I'm awake…_

"Wait a minute. Did you just say a seal?" Dean frowned, his brows pulled together as he leaned towards the angel as if it might help him understand better.

"Yes. You must protect the seal," Castiel repeated. Dean shook his head as he pushed himself up off the bed.

"So you're telling me that we are now dealing with a seal?" Dean asked yet again. Castiel frowned, his brows pulled together in confusion as he titled his head to the side, telling both Dean and Sam that he was yet again trying to understand human actions and yet again, not fully grasping the concept.

"Yes, Dean. Are you injured? Have your ears been damaged in some way?" Castiel moved towards Dean, reaching out to examine Dean's ears but his hands were swatted away.

"My ears are fine, Cas! I'm just trying to understand how the hell we're dealing with a seal!" Castiel frowned but nodded, backing away from Dean. He stood silent for a while, his eyes fixed on Dean who ran a hand through his hair as he looked about the room, again as if searching for a way to understand what exactly Castiel meant by 'seal'.

"What exactly is the seal, Cas? Does it have anything to do with this Amelia girl?" Sam asked from his seat at the table.

"Yes," Castiel stated, turning his gaze to the younger Winchester and frowning at the use of his nickname though why he frowned he wasn't sure. "The child is the one attempting to break the seal."

"Attempting?" Dean asked and Castiel quickly shook his head, realizing his mistake.

"I believe I have used the wrong words. The child is unaware of what she is doing. It is not really under her control." Dean nodded as he sat back down on the bed, waiting for Castiel to explain further. "The seal is broken when the impossible becomes possible."

"Hate to break the news to you Cas but we deal with that everyday. I think your seal is already broken. Some people might say that you existing did it," Dean said, earning a frown from both Castiel and Sam. "What? Come on Sam," he began at Sam's look. "We deal with the impossible becoming possible all the time. We call it the supernatural."

"That's not what Cas means, Dean," Sam replied, not noticing Castiel who flinched slightly at Sam's use of his nickname. Dean however had. He stared briefly at the angel before turning his attention back to his brother; the questions that had popped into his head were pushed back for later when Dean would be alone with Castiel.

"Fine then Sam, what did he mean?" Dean asked. Sam didn't answer but looked to Castiel instead.

"What I meant is the seal will be broken when God's will is broken," Castiel supplied.

"So you mean this is like _Dogma_," Dean stated, nodding his head, finally understanding.

"No. Dogma is-" Castiel began but Sam quickly cut him off his with the wave of his hand and a small smile.

"Dean's talking about a movie, not actual dogma," Sam said softly and Castiel frowned but nodded as he looked back at Dean.

"Wait. When Anna got her grace, didn't she defy God's will?" Dean asked, using quotation fingers when he said 'god's will'. Castiel shook his head and frowned deeply at the mention of Anna, Afriel. He didn't understand the angel, who some how managed to exist on a separate plane, still able to connect to the host and yet evade them all the same. He still really didn't understand why she had fallen in the first place but Castiel knew that with more time spent with the Winchesters, with Dean, he would one day understand.

"It was not God's will that she not regain her grace but the Host's will. They are separate entities and while the Host does hold much power in heaven, they are still not absolute like our Father." Dean nodded and looked to Sam.

"I still don't understand how the supernatural isn't the impossible becoming possible," Dean stated after a few moments of silence and Sam shook his head with a smile.

"Dean, it's the super_natural_, meaning that everything that happens is natural to this plane of existence. It's just, you know, super charged." Dean nodded slowly, somewhat understanding but not really. Not that he would say anything more on the subject. He got the information he needed now he just needed to use the information to his advantage and stop the seal from breaking. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage that.

"Ok. So we stop whatever's causing the dreams. Simple," Dean said, sitting back down on the bed.

"Not really." Dean looked at Sam who raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "It's not that simple. There is no cure for Narcolepsy, we can't keep her from falling asleep." Dean flopped back onto the bed and rolled his eyes. "I don't think her falling asleep is the problem either. Somebody is doing something, using something. Maybe someone has been giving her dream root or maybe someone's cast a spell or something," Sam stated.

"So either way we're probably dealing with a witch," Dean groused, sitting up on the bed. "I hate witches."

"Maybe. It could be anything." Sam looked at his laptop screen, at a loss for what to do. "We're not going to know anything until we meet her." Dean huffed and shook his head, his lips pursed as he looked towards his brother, trying not to concentrate on the feel of Castiel's eyes staring into him. He hadn't moved, hadn't said a word in a few minuets.

"Well that's great. She's what, fourteen? Tell me, how are we supposed to manage that without looking like a bunch of pedophiles?" Sam rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and shook his head.

"Well, since you liked playing gym teacher so much, I figured we could infiltrate her school as teachers. I've already checked it out, they've got an opening in the history department and they need a teacher for shop. Seems that a few of their teachers had decided to get pregnant at the same time."

"Wait, you're telling me that the original shop teacher was a lady?" Dean asked at which Sam nodded slowly. "Lucky kids," Dean nodded, smirking slightly to himself. Sam only shook his head and closed his laptop, wondering how the hell they were going to deal with the seal.

* * *

The water lapped softly at the dock, a crisp blue which lacked the murky mud that usually made up river water. It was clear, a blue that only got darker as the water got deeper but he could pretty much see everything, could see the teams of fish as they swam, pushing their way through the current that was no doubt taking place beneath the calm of the surface. He sat, his hand loosely gripping the rod in his right hand, a chilled bottle of beer in his left. He sipped at his beer, watching the fish swim by his hook, not yet taking the bait though some fish had breeched the surface to butt head with the colorful bobber that floated at the top.

Dean knew he was dreaming. He hadn't felt so peaceful in years and he knew it would only last a few seconds, minuets at most until his subconscious left the serene scene to explore other parts of his mind. He sighed; closing his eyes and feeling the light wind cool his face from the heated sun that beat down lightly upon him. The water splashed slightly at the surface and the rod tugged in his hand. He leaned forward and began to turn the reel, dragging the fish through the water till finally it was squirming helplessly in front of him. He held it lightly in his hands, unhooking its mouth gently before letting it flop back into the water where it rushed to rejoin its school.

"What is the point of catching the fish if you only let it go?" His voice didn't startle Dean as it usually would have but instead filled him with a sense of calm, warmth, and peace even though he was already at peace to begin with. Dean breathed deeply, took a sip of his beer and smiled.

"No point," Dean replied. Castiel took a few steps forward, stopping next to Dean. Dean looked up, watching the angel as he stood, his blue eyes squinting from the sun, his hair catching the lightly as it fell half-hazardly over one half of his brow, the rest sticking up at odd angles that would have looked messy and horrible on anyone else.

"This is what you dream of?" Castiel asked, his voice soft, deep and graveled at the same time and yet there was something new to it, as if his true voice was coming through the vessels' more clearly than usual. The angel looked down at Dean, his eyes squinting less now that he wasn't looking directly towards the sun. They were as blue was the water Dean thought.

"Sometimes. If I'm lucky." Castiel's brows furrowed and he titled his head to the side. Dean's smile morphed into a smirk as he took another sip of his beer and turned his attention back to the water that rippled from where fish jumped and swam. "It only lasts so long, Cas. I don't dream like this often."

"You dream of other things." Dean took another sip and stared at the water that calmed quickly for a moment before he nodded. "You dream of hell."

"Yeah Cas. Yeah." It was silent; the water made no noise nor did the wind as it carded through the trees. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, hoping that the dream wouldn't fade, hoping that he could hold onto it just a bit longer. Cold began to seep into his sides, his fingertips, and his chest. He gripped the rod tighter.

"I am sorry." Strong fingers pressed through his jacket, gripping his shoulder and warmth flooded his system as Dean felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. He let his eyes rest closed as he placed the beer in his cup holder before reaching for the hand on his shoulder and placing his hand firmly over it, knowing that it was the only thing keeping him anchored. He opened his eyes and looked up at the angel who stared silent outward at the water, which was once again teamed with life. He smiled and gripped the hand tighter, looking out at the water.

"You don't have to be, but thanks anyways."


End file.
